Business Librarian
Business on film / August 2024
Epic successes and failures in the business world often make for great movie plotlines. For August 2024, here are 12 films from JMU’s collections that examine the business world. Find more movies about business or industry by searching by film title in Library Search.
If you are an instructor who is interested in using a movie in your course, send an email to bizinfo@jmu.libanswers.com.
Up in the Air (2010)
Ryan Bingham is a corporate downsizing expert who flies all over the world on business. When Bingham goes on his last cross country firing expedition, he will learn that life isn't about the journey, but about the connections made along the way. Watch Trailer
Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)
The accomplishments of visionaries Steve Jobs (Noah Wyle) and Bill Gates (Anthony Michael Hall) revolutionize the 20th century. Watch Trailer
Air (2023)
Follows the history of sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro, and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball, Michael Jordan. Watch Trailer
The Current War (2017)
The dramatic story of the cutthroat race between electricity titans Thomas A. Edison and George Westinghouse to determine whose electrical system would power the modern world. Watch Trailer
Dumb Money (2023)
David vs. Goliath tale about everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop (the video-game store) into the world's hottest company. Watch Trailer
Joy (2016)
A wild story of a family across four generations centered on the girl who becomes the woman who founds a business dynasty and becomes a matriarch in her own right. An intense emotional and human comedy about becoming a true boss of family and enterprise facing a world of unforgiving commerce. Watch Trailer
Steve Jobs (2016)
A biopic of Steve Jobs that takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution in order to paint a portrait of the man at its epicenter. The story unfolds backstage at three iconic product launches, ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac. Watch Trailer
The Founder (2015)
The story of Ray Kroc, a salesman who turned two brothers' innovative fast food eatery, McDonald's, into the biggest restaurant business in the world, with a combination of ambition, persistence, and ruthlessness. Watch Trailer
The Big Short (2016)
The financial meltdown from the perspective of a number of players: Michael Burry, a bizarre autistic-like stock-picking genius; Mark Baum, self-loathing fictional character whose firm picks up insider trading information; Jared Vennet, a smart-aleck broker who confirms the ominous suspicion; and Charlie Gellar and Jamie Shipley, small-time players who hit it big. Watch Trailer
BlackBerry (2023)
The riveting true story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world's first smartphone, BlackBerry is a whirlwind ride through the ruthlessly competitive forces of Silicon Valley at breakneck speeds. Watch Trailer
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
The real story behind the world of sales. This is a realistic portrayal of what it is to try making a life in high pressure sales with all its highs and lows; promises of fortunes and deliveries of dross. Red-leads and dead-leads are to blame for life's outcomes. Watch Trailer
The Social Network (2011)
On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. It soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history. Watch Trailer